


Wednesday Morning

by MessintoMessages



Series: to which I love you because you were all there ever was [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Flashbacks, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mark is whipped, mark pov, teacher hyuck, the most lovey dovey shit ive ever written, writer mark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 20:09:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18763330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MessintoMessages/pseuds/MessintoMessages
Summary: Mark reminiscing on the past year spent with the love of his life the morning of their anniversary.





	Wednesday Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Technically this is a part two and I definitely recommend reading the first part, but if you don’t want to, feel free to give this a shot on its own!
> 
> And for those of you who have been waiting, I hope this will be to your expectations as this whole thing is simply an overindulgence on my part.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
>  
> 
> : the portions in italics are flashback scenes, while what’s not is Mark’s current thoughts.

Sometimes Mark couldn’t believe he got to wake up next to Donghyuck every morning. Something in him telling him the young boy from the bookstore was only a figment of his memory. But then he would open his eyes and there he would be. Head rested on his chest, arms snaked around his sides, always holding on tight in fear Mark would disappear again.

But he promised he wouldn’t. So, he won’t.

Today was a special day. It had been exactly one year since Donghyuck had found him. Things weren’t as picturesque in the begging as they were now. But that was to be assumed. Mark had been a coward, and he needed to regain Donghyuck’s trust.

They hadn’t been dating all that long either.

When they first reunited, Mark still had some time on his book tour, so he didn’t really have a place he called home. Just floating here or there, wherever his words took him.

But then Donghyuck walked right back into his life, and Mark so badly wanted to call the boy’s heart his home.

He was hesitant at first, unsure of Donghyuck’s feelings or why he had decided to show up when he did. But Mark promised himself that he was going to communicate better with him this time around. The past few years Mark had been trying his best to become a better person, still holding on to the regret of his past he was determined to become someone he was proud of. Mark knew there wasn’t a good chance that Donghyuck would have come back into his life, but that didn’t stop the small voice in the back of his head saying he was improving himself for him. If anything, at the end of the day it was extra motivation more so than false hope.

But interestingly enough, Donghyuck _had_ come into his life, and at almost perfect timing. The first time and the second time.

It had been a few years since his book had been released, so promotion for it was winding down. It was about time for Mark to find a place to settle down for a while and work on writing his second book. And before Donghyuck had walked into that book signing one year ago, he had no idea where that would be.

That night after he saw the sun-kissed boy once again, he had started looking for apartments.

It was quite early in the morning still, much too early for the younger boy on his chest to be waking up. Donghyuck still had two good hours of sleep left before he had to get up for work that morning at the high school. Which was now conveniently located four blocks away from their new apartment.

Mark remembers when Donghyuck told him he had gotten a job as a literature teacher. It was over coffee. Things had been so awkward that day. The initial emotions of reuniting had worn off and all that was left was an uncomfortable air between them. They had a lot to talk about then, not much which would be discussed on that particular day, however. But none the less it was the first time they had gotten a chance to see each other in years, so some of that was expected.

Mark wanted to cry when he had told him, even though he had assumed as much. The royalty checks from his book had been cashed after all. But finally getting his hopes for Donghyuck confirmed felt a thousand times better than any assumptions he had held.

He mostly worried that he had crossed a line with the money. It was no excuse that Donghyuck had been his inspiration, his muse, for his personal narrative. It was the complete truth. If he had never met Donghyuck he would have never written his book.

He wanted to give him something in return, something that he could use to pursue his dreams. And it just so happened to be in the form of a bit of money. Because that’s all he had to offer Donghyuck then.

From the moment he brought the situation up, Mark could tell he was uncomfortable by it all. Guilt and panic had quickly spread through him.

He had a feeling that was the case when he saw the check in the book Donghyuck had brought in for him to "sign" that day. It was a decent chunk of money, and all made out to him.

_"About the check…" Mark started._

_"That’s your money Mark, everything I didn’t spend plus what I had begun to put back from what I had needed to spend."_

Turns out Donghyuck had made a separate bank account for the money made from the book, determined to pay Mark back in full.

He had wanted to refuse. But the fact that he had helped Donghyuck towards achieving his dream was enough.  

~

Mark ran his hands through Donghyuck’s hair gently as to not wake him. His hair was darker now, more of an ashy brown compared to the warm color it had been a year ago.

He thought back to their first official date, or at least what he liked to consider their first date to be. Before he was able to touch Donghyuck this lovingly. Before the boy would ever be sleeping like this in his arms.  

_"You really don’t have to pay!"_

_Donghyuck reached over the table to try to grab at the check Mark was currently holding up over his head._

_"Well you know…" Mark said, bringing the check back down to slip his card in. "I am craving some ice cream."_

_Donghyuck huffed and sat back down in his chair. "Fine, but it better be some expensive ice cream for us to be even."_

_Mark smiled and handed the check to the waitress, thanking her for her service._

_"I mean, you know this town better than me. Take me wherever you want. I’m prepared to be treated!"_

_What he did not expect was to be brought a vintage ice cream parlor. It was tucked down a back street, a perfect hidden gem._

_"I used to come here while in university when I had some extra money, they have the best Sundays in the world. Well, probably."_

_Walking in felt like you were taking a step into the past, even the employees were decked out in iconic 60s wear. The whole place was one long countertop, so everyone got to sit on high top chairs and be served from the person behind the bar._

_They took a seat on the stools and decided to share one of the famous ice cream Sundays, Mark claiming that he was too full from dinner to get something of his own._

_Mark was reminded of the last time they had ice cream together. It wasn’t the happiest of memories._

_And yet he still insisted on walking Donghyuck home afterword._

_"So, how’s the second book coming along?"_

_It had been a few weeks since they had sat down for coffee and things between them had gotten a bit more comfortable. Feelings were still unsure, but they were working really hard to repair their relationship and catch up on what they had missed in the years they had been apart. They promised to meet up at least once a week._

_"Pretty good, I’m not completely sure about the direction in which I want it to ultimately go. But it’s coming along."_

_"That’s good." Donghyuck smiled and laced his hands together and he walked on._

_The sun had hit him in the perfect way in which it looked like he was glowing. Even years ago, Mark had thought he was the brightest person he had ever met. Not only because of his cheerful personality, but he gave off such a warm vibe it was impossible to feel uncomfortable around him._

_"I found an apartment here." Mark had been waiting to tell him, but he just never had found the right time. But at that moment, he couldn’t stop the words from rolling off his tongue._

_"You’re staying," Donghyuck said breathlessly._

_"For as long as you want me too." Mark felt his face flush, instantly unsure if it was the right decision, if it was what Donghyuck wanted._

_Donghyuck just stared up at him._

_"Promise?" he whispered._

_"Promise."_

~

Things had escalated once he was settled into his apartment, only a few blocks away from where Donghyuck was living at the time. It was nothing special, it was just what he was able to find on short notice. But it was a place to lay his head at the end of the day, a place where he could call home for the time being. And most importantly, it was a place where he would be able to be close to the person who meant most to him.

After they were both certain that Mark was, in fact, staying around, seeing each other more often just made the most sense to them. It got to the point where they were together three to four times more than when they first met. But it felt necessary, like they needed to make up for the lost time.

Mark was well aware that he probably had been more than annoying, as he was usually the one initiating their "hang outs" but he couldn’t help it. But, when Donghyuck finally let him, he went all out.

_"You really don’t have to pick me up every day," Donghyuck said after Mark had met him outside of the school 3 days in a row._

_"But I want to! I like it, gets me out of my stuffy apartment." Mark handed him a coffee he had picked up along the way._

_"You’re too much Mark Lee. Don’t you have a deadline coming up anyway?" A pout formed on his lips, "I don’t want you to feel like you have to go out of your way for me when you should be focusing on your writing."_

_"You really don’t like me picking you up that much?!" Mark responded sarcastically, eyes crinkling up in mock offense._

_Donghyuck huffed before intertwining their hands. "No, I like it, it’s just I worry about you that’s all. And anyway, when did you get sassy? That’s my job."_

_"Maybe I worry about you too, maybe that’s why I’m here almost every day."  
_

_"You don’t have to, you know, worry about me."_

_"Do you not want me to?"_

_"I never said that…"_

_Mark didn’t respond, instead, he continued walking waiting for Donghyuck to explain._

_The younger huffed at the newfound silence, realizing that Mark wasn’t going to change the topic._

_"I just feel like all you ever have done is worry about me, and it’s not that I don’t like it… I just don’t want to become a burden to you," Donghyuck finally said, looking and sounding very small._

_Mark was quick to respond, "You will never be, nor have you ever been, a burden to me. All I ever want to do is see you smiling, happy. And maybe sometimes I don’t go about it the right way, but you mean the world to me Hyuck, and so I’ll try and try until, and after, you are the happiest you could ever dream to be." Mark squeezed Donghyuck’s hand and pulled him to a stop, "I’m still trying to figure out how to best do that, but I hope you won’t be shy to give me a little direction."_

_Donghyuck fell into Mark, burying his face in the crook of his neck. "I want you to stay."_

Words Mark had known from the moment they had left Donghyuck’s lips he had been waiting an eternity to say. And ever since even before the day he had left the boy alone on his door stoop, words Mark had wished to hear.

~

Mark would never forget that particular day.

He had wanted to do this the day Donghyuck had walked into his book signing, the day he had walked out of Donghyuck’s life, and maybe even every day he had walked into Arlo’s bookstore.

His lips gently pressed on Donghyuck’s forehead, careful not to wake him. The thought of not getting to do that was almost unimaginable at this point.

But the first time, the first time their lips brushed against one another, he would never forget.

_"Wow, your apartment is stuffy."_

_"I tried to tell you, you’re my only reprieve from this place."_

_Donghyuck giggled at Mark’s words as he flittered around the small space, curious to look in every nook and cranny._

_"Where do you normally write? Here?" Donghyuck gestured towards a cluttered desk crammed into the corner of his apartment._

_"Sometimes. Sometimes I write sitting on the couch, or under the table, and at night I write while I’m in bed. And sometimes I leave and go to the café down the street to write, or the little bookshop a few blocks down from that. Sometimes I even bring my notebook and write in the park, or while I’m waiting for you. I just write when it comes to me, wherever I am."_

_Donghyuck hummed as his eyes scanned over the bookshelf Mark had up against the wall. It was overflowing with books. He clearly needed more space than these four walls were willing to give._

_"How very romantic Mark Lee," Donghyuck finally said, eyes finally making there way back to the other, "But that’s just every word out of you." He gave him a warm smile before looking back over to the books, "How many of these are from Arlo’s?"_

_Mark walked over towards him, arms instinctively reaching out for the younger, "Just my favorites."_

_Donghyuck turned around in Mark’s hold, hiding his smile in his shoulder._

_"And this one is my favorite of all," Mark said pulling back ever so slightly to be able to clearly look at the boy in his arms._

_A kiss to his forehead. Then one to his lips. Soft, gentle, lovingly. Then a pause. In which no words were uttered yet a message had been shared between the two._

Another beginning, a beginning to which happily held no end.

~

Many things could describe Donghyuck, but it was hard to truly do him justice because even the sun itself could not outshine him. This was an issue Mark had run into early on when writing his first book; accurately describing his favorite person. Sure, he had at least a thousand and one words he could have used, but no matter how he worded it he felt as though the combination was never quite right.

This time around he was trying his hand at a fiction novel. The problem he found himself running into now was taking Donghyuck out of the main love interest. Struggling to not describe the main character’s focus of affection as his own reality was trying for Mark. He knew going into it he would have a hard time separating the two. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to make the character similar to Donghyuck, he just didn’t want to base his fiction novel too far into reality. This book had to be different than his first. Almost a year into it and he still wasn’t sure if he had it right.

Meeting Donghyuck again, however, really brought to light the changes that Mark had missed in their years apart. And he was quick to realize that the Donghyuck he had written about in his first book was no longer completely the same boy that Mark had grown to know and love. He had written about a younger, shy, lonely boy who had been desperate for friendship and patient enough to find it with Mark. Now there was no longer a boy in front of him, but a man. And he was finally getting the opportunity to see how there was so much more to him then what he had known of the young kid who worked in his favorite bookshop.

Donghyuck had always had the spark of someone who could be such a bright and happy person, and now Mark was getting to see that version of him in its full beauty. He just needed the right environment to be able to flourish, to become someone who constantly had a smile on his face. And now, now he was able to be that person. Which, with or without himself, that was all Mark ever wanted for Donghyuck. He just never realized that he was the missing part of that equation.

Mark now saw a version of Donghyuck who had genuine hope for himself and his life path. There was no underlying disappointment in himself or his situation. Now he was someone who seemed to always be floating on a cloud, happiness evident within the sparkle of his eyes. Sure, the scars of his past were still there, but he didn’t let them define him any longer. It was almost jarring how much positivity he had brought into his life while they had been apart.

However, he seemed to get even more radiant the longer Mark spent with him after they reunited. Almost as if he had only been a budding flower before, now he was slowly heading towards being in full bloom.

It was a bittersweet feeling, seeing Donghyuck go through this change and knowing that he had been a part of it. He had felt like such a coward leaving when he did, he knew he had hurt Donghyuck and he even questioned if he would ever re-enter his life. Guilt had seethed through him as soon as the realization struck that maybe if he had been the one to reach out sooner, or never have left in the first place, maybe Donghyuck could have been this happy ages ago.

It was something that he had been working on, or rather it had been something _they_ had been working on. Stepping away from that guilt. Things were filled with less turmoil now. And while the short period of time in which it had brought issues to their relationship wasn’t his favorite memory to think back on, it was one that helped lead them to a true foundation.

_Mark had met Donghyuck outside of the school after he finished work like he did at the beginning of every week._

_"You look awful! What’s wrong?" Donghyuck’s blinding smile quickly fell away, replaced by worried eyes._

_Mark forced a smile, "It’s nothing really. It’s fine."_

_"It’s not fine! You look like you haven’t slept in days. Mark. Please tell me what’s going on." He reached out to grab Mark’s hand but was met by a turned back._

_"Let’s just go." He started to walk off but Donghyuck didn’t move an inch._

_"What’s going on Mark you’re scaring me." The tears that had quickly wet Donghyuck’s eyes spilled over as soon as Mark turned back around, anger and frustration obvious on his face._

_But as soon as he saw those tears, his own started to form. His shoulders quickly fell, along with his head as he brought a hand up to cover his face._

_He felt arms gently embrace him, "Let’s just go home."_

_Home meant with Donghyuck. So it was home wherever he would take him._

_They hadn’t said a single word to each other on the way there, but the tears had dried._

_Soon enough they were settled in between the covers of Donghyuck’s bed._

_"Please sleep. Then we can talk. Okay?"_

_So, he did._

_Then they did._

_When they awoke it was late into the evening._

_Donghyuck had gotten up to make something of a dinner for the two of them but left Mark to hopefully get some more rest. He knew he needed it._

_But shortly after, Mark emerged and joined him in the kitchen anyway. Without Donghyuck’s warmth, there would be no more sleeping, he knew that._

_"I’m sorry about earlier… I just am having a hard time with the book, I don’t know what I’m writing anymore, what the purpose is. I haven’t slept. I haven’t slept in days. I’m so sorry Hyuck, I’m so sorry I took my stress out on you. I just wanted to see you to escape, but it was obvious I was a mess. And I guess I got upset because you noticed."_

_Mark looked so ashamed. So torn to pieces. And while all Donghyuck wanted to do was to tell him it was okay, and not to worry about it. He couldn’t. Because it wasn’t all okay._

_"When will you hear me Mark? I’ve been telling you for months, maybe even longer than that. It’s okay for you to feel tired or upset, or even frustrated or mad around me. No matter our feelings for each other, there will be times when we will be upset at each other too. And that’s okay. Actually, it’s a part of a healthy relationship, and if we continue hiding those feelings from each other bigger issues will arise."_

_Mark stood there a moment, surprised at his outburst. Tears pricked at his eyes once again._

_"But… but I never want to see you upset. It kills me. Especially when you are upset because of me. I feel like I’ve hurt you enough, I don’t want to ever do it again." Sobs ripped through him following the words. And once again he was engulfed in Donghyuck’s arms._

_"Pain fades. What matters now is that you’re here. With me. All I want to do is make sure that it stays like that, okay?"_

_The pot had boiled over and there were tear stains on Donghyuck’s shirt, but things were going to be alright._

~

After that day Mark didn’t remember a single night spent in his own apartment. He was there during the day, while Donghyuck was working. But once Donghyuck came home, so did he.

_"I think I’m going to look for a new place closer to work."_

_It was early morning, yet Donghyuck knew his alarm would buzz any moment. "That way I get to lay here with you longer."_

_Mark smiled and pulled the other closer to his chest, "I would like that very much."_

_And as if on cue, the chime of the alarm clock sounded._

_"Technically my lease is up next month," Donghyuck said as he rolled out of bed._

_Mark hummed letting his eyes flutter closed willing himself back into a dreamland where that idea was a reality. But not before he felt Donghyuck lay a quick kiss on his cheek._

 

What he didn’t know at the moment was that that dream would soon be a reality, and one greater than he had ever imagined.

_"I think this is the one Mark," Donghyuck said breathlessly as they walked around the empty apartment._

_It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it had beautiful windows spanning from the ceiling to the floor. The complete opposite of stuffy._

_Just a few minutes walk from the high school which Donghyuck worked._

_"Are you sure you’ll be able to afford this?" Mark said, once again glancing over to the hawk-like realtor._

_Donghyuck’s wonder-filled smile quickly turned into one a bit more mischievous, "Not alone I won’t."_

_Mark stared at him for a moment, eyes blinking in confusion as to what Donghyuck was insinuating._

_"This is perfect, we will contact you in a few days about our decision," Donghyuck said, turning towards the realtor._

_And Mark suddenly realized this was his decision to make too._

_"What do you think?" Donghyuck said after they had successfully left the apartment complex, this time, however, with a tinge of anxiety lacing his voice._

_"I would have to break my lease…" Mark said as he watched Donghyuck’s shoulders droop. "But I’m pretty sure nothing would inspire me more than sitting in front of those picture windows."_

_A pout formed on Donghyuck’s lips, and Mark couldn’t help himself as he kissed the teasing disappointment right off the younger’s face._

_"Of course, there also is a certain boy whom I love very much that I hear will be living there as well, and he just happens to be my biggest inspiration of them all."_

**~**

Mark had not gotten even an hour of sleep. There were too many moments he wanted to revisit before morning came. Before the sleeping boy in his arms awoke.

Things had changed so quickly for them over the past year. In comparison to how the relationship between the two of them had begun, Mark was surprised neither of them had whiplash. This was finally the year their relationship had been able to flourish.

Mark had been 16 when he met Donghyuck, and while fate had brought them together, it had also taken them apart. Most days it felt like a miracle they ended up like this.

But they did. This was their reality now. The road had been a rough one, but they made it, together.

They hadn’t been living together for very long, their apartment still felt new. But from day one Mark knew he wanted no other reality than this. Maybe Mark had known for a very long time, but this. This was exactly the life that he had been dreaming of.

There was just one more thing he wanted to do. One last thing before he was fully content.

A promise he needed to make to Donghyuck, one that would be binding, one that would alleviate any trace of fear he had of Mark once again leaving him.

So he bought a ring.

Maybe some people would think it was too soon, less than a whole year _technically_ together. But what those same people didn’t know was that it had been almost a decade that Donghyuck held possession of Mark’s heart. A decade of being in love was plenty time enough Mark thought. The only person’s opinion who mattered anyway was the boy’s who was currently curled up in his arms.

No matter what would happen in a few hours when his alarm would ring, Mark knew that when every Tuesday evening came to a close, there Donghyuck would be, in his arms every Wednesday Morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot to say about this fic, but firstly, I’m so sorry it took this long to get out! I’m really shit at writing more than one thing at a time and really didn’t have the time to sit down and write this how I wanted it to be written before now.
> 
> Second! This is set almost a decade after they had first met, so it was important to me to write how they had developed as people while on their own. AND I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ALL DAY but I also want some things to be left up to your own interpretations :)  
> Please please please leave a comment here or on my curious cat OR EVEN TWITTER if you want! I would love to talk!
> 
> Lastly! I just want to give everyone who has been waiting since the first part of this a huge thank you for being so patient, and also thank you for supporting me, your comments on there were some of the sweetest things I’ve ever read.
> 
> THANK YOU
> 
>  
> 
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/kennaloveskpop?t=1548037588)  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kennaloveskpop?lang=en)


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